Comic Books are meant to be fun little escapes. They should make you laugh, cry, or both. They definitely should entertain and sometimes inspire. It’s a medium that belongs somewhere between a novel and a TV show, and in a class all its own. Saga is all of that and more. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples have created a masterpiece and I can’t say enough to convince everyone I know, and hopefully anyone reading this review, that they need to read this comic book each month. The run has been on a short hiatus for about the past three months, but is back now and is just as great as when we last left Alana, Marko and Hazel.

Saga #19 begins what promises to be an amazing fourth arc. I’m sure there will be much debate from the first page illustration, but I believe it is one of the reasons that makes Saga so unique and original; the fact that Vaughan and Staples allow their vision to push and go beyond ‘societal’ limits, without sacrificing their originality, is one of the reasons I love this comic. Some of my favorite parts of Saga is when we get narration by Hazel and we get a lot in Chapter Nineteen with a clear view of how much she has grown since the first Chapter. We also get some fun pages showing us the history of the Robot Kingdom and how they got mixed up in the galactic war that Alana and Marko’s relationship helped fan the flames of.

Chapter Nineteen is also a great starting-off point for new readers. Although, I highly recommend you go back and pick up the first three Trades because the story and art are nothing like I have ever witnessed. Vaughan does an amazing job at weaving into this issue a helpful recap through Hazel’s narration, to bring anyone reluctant to start a series in the middle of its run, up to speed.

It’s no mystery why Saga is an Eisner, Harvey and Hugo award winner. Staples’ art is phenomenal and I can’t help but stare at each page in awe. Every landscape, facial expression and structure appears to leap off the page with her surreal illustrations. It mixes harmoniously with Vaughan’s rich story that I read each page three or four times. The three-month break the series took since the last arc was far too long, but did give me time to go back and re-read each issue. New readers of Saga are in for a big treat if they plan on picking up the first three Trades to catch up, but I’m sure that if you get Chapter Nineteen, afterwards, you will become a single-issue reader from that moment on.

Story: Brian K. Vaughan – Art: Fiona Staples – Letters + Design: Fonografiks – Coordinated By Eric Stephenson 

Story: 9.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy